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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · bass · object · degree · ball · bank · game · face

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — wild animals
  5. face — to point toward
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rash — hasty
  10. degree — from a university
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. degree — an amount
  14. face — to confront
  15. ball — a great time
  16. object — an aim
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rash — a series
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com